Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center

The first hotel completed by 1914 was the Auditorium Hotel, which was part of the Public Service Building. It stood directly across from Stuart Auditorium. Additional lodges, inns, and hotels were also under construction at this time. Unfortunately, the Auditorium Hotel burned in the fall of 1920. For years, the cause of the fire remained a mystery; that is, until a woman from Washington discovered a photo album from her grand-nephew that contained photos of the Auditorium Hotel on fire. Below the photo, a caption explained that the fire started because some of the boys from the school he attended, the Snyder School for Boys, tried to secretly smoke. This woman graciously contacted Lake Junaluska, thus solving the mystery of the Auditorium Hotel’s previously inexplicable fire.

The most impressive lodging at Lake Junaluska, the Junaluska Inn, did not open until 1917. Originally, the Junaluska Inn stood where the Lambuth Inn now resides. The Junaluska Inn had a structure like the grand hotels of the turn of the century with 130 rooms. Despite celebrating a monumental opening season, the Junaluska Inn no longer stands. In fact, the success of the summer season of 1917 resulted in the Inn being completely booked for the summer of 1918. In an unfortunate turn of events, a catastrophic fire destroyed the Junaluska Inn in July 1918. Several prestigious guests, including Dr. William P. Few, the first President of Duke University, had stayed at the Inn the night it was destroyed.

The Lambuth Inn, completed in 1921, was initially known as the Centenary Mission Inn. The original center section of the Lambuth Inn is on the National Register of Historic Sites. Its primary purpose was to house missionaries on furlough, but it was never exclusively used for that purpose because of the constant demand for lodging at Lake Junaluska. The Mission Inn was renamed the Lambuth Inn in honor of Bishop Walter R. Lambuth, a notable missionary. In 1956, after remodeling, the west wing was annexed in order to accommodate the meeting of the Ninth World Methodist Conference. The east wing was later completed in 1964. Inspiration Point, which is located adjacent to the Lambuth Inn, is another prominent feature associated with the Lambuth Inn. From this point, visitors can enjoy a moment of solitude as they take in the sights and sounds of the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.